January 24 Through February 4—TUCSON, ARIZONA: Annual show
Welcome to the GemologyOnline.com Forum
A non-profit Forum for the exchange of gemological ideas
It is currently Tue Mar 19, 2024 2:01 am

All times are UTC - 4 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 6 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Is this just glass
PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 11:39 am 
Offline
Established Member

Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2017 11:48 am
Posts: 27
We had bought this GemMaster II off Ebay and it came with several bags of rocks. Looks a little too clean to be anything else but I'm not very good at identifying this stuff. I did cut a stone with it and it is pretty nice.

Image

Image


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Is this just glass
PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 12:49 pm 
Offline
Established Member

Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2017 11:48 am
Posts: 27
fwiw, I weighed and measured the specific gravity of several pieces and they are all in the 5.5 to 5.6 range.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Is this just glass
PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 2:26 pm 
Offline
Gold Member
User avatar

Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2007 5:04 pm
Posts: 1642
Location: Walnut Creek, CA
It should be cubic zirconia. Gravity is there, and the shape of the rough seems very compatible with the fracturing of the CZ you get during cooling in the skull-melting crystallization process they use to make it.

_________________
https://www.instagram.com/marcovoltolinifaceting/


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Is this just glass
PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 2:32 pm 
Offline
Established Member

Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2017 11:48 am
Posts: 27
Thanks so much! It was a bit of bitch to polish so that makes sense on the hardness part as well. I also had no idea that it came in different colors... kinda cool really!!

Thanks again!!


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Is this just glass
PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 6:04 pm 
Offline
Gold Member

Joined: Tue Jul 02, 2013 9:00 am
Posts: 1322
Location: Wylie Texas but in Alaska for a while
CZ is available is a very wide range of colors as well as some color changing material.

I also got a lot of stray rough when I picked up my machine..... it took a while to figure out what it was. BUT after a while it was easy... if it was heavy (a relative term that you can only learn after picking up a lot of samples") is is probably CZ.

I think that CZ is the only material made using the skull melt process, that creates pieces shaped like you have.

Polishing it can sometimes be a real pain.. and I have found some pieces more of a pain than others.....

once in a while you get a batch that polishes very easy.... that is always a pleasure.

If you are just learning..... might I suggest that you try some garnet. It is inexpensive and generally polishes well.

It is very frustrating when you are just learning to have polishing problems..... You think it is you..... sometimes it is just a pain it the !@#$!@#$ piece of material......

As a learning material, some of the nano glasses also work easy and look good.....


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Is this just glass
PostPosted: Thu Feb 01, 2018 10:23 am 
Offline
Established Member

Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2017 11:48 am
Posts: 27
Thanks Wilson! I appreciate the ideas!! I do like the challenges that harder stones bring. Seems I can cut a stone just fine to 3000 and then things can go wrong while polishing. I'm getting better with each stone though. Thanks again.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 6 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 4 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
Gemology Style ported to phpBB3 by Christian Bullock